Juniper pruning: features, timing and technology

Coniferous evergreens, which include tall forest or Kazakh junipers, have been in high demand lately. This tree has many varieties, both in the form of creeping shrubs and in the form of massive trees with a lush crown. Such an abundance of species allows you to create truly unique landscape solutions on any site. True, for this you need to know the rules for pruning juniper and the subtleties of this process.

Evergreen conifers do not have a growing season, that is, there is no time for fruit ripening. This means that there are no strict deadlines for pruning juniper branches.

This is explained by the fact that the main care of the juniper itself lies in the formation of the crown and its cleansing of old and diseased branches. Moreover, in order to in order for an adult juniper to be beautiful and healthy, especially a forest one, this procedure must be performed regularly.

The frequency of pruning of juniper is influenced by the age of the conifer itself, its variety and appearance, as well as the shape that needs to be given to it. So, to create a pyramidal juniper, pruning must be carried out not only quite often, but also regularly.

On average, professional gardeners believe that it is best to do the juniper doom at the following times:

• in spring - from April to the end of May;
• in summer - from early June to mid-July;
• in autumn - from the beginning of September to the end of October.

It is very important to remember one more point: the plant is pruned once every 2-4 years.

An exception to the rule is the so-called sanitary pruning. If necessary, it should be performed not only annually, but also several times within 12 months.

Juniper is an evergreen plant that grows very slowly. And that is why it retains the created shape of its crown for a long time. Therefore, if you perform this procedure correctly, you can decorate your site with an unusual plant for a long time.

Currently, there are several main types of pruning. At home, you can cut a juniper yourself in two ways.

In this case, each shoot is cut off separately, necessarily cutting off the already formed bud. This option is usually used when forming a crown in young plants.

Assumes mass cutting of young stems. Usually simple garden shears are used, and the location of the formed buds does not play a special role.

Juniper pruning, depending on the time and purpose of execution, is divided into three groups. Any of them allows you to create a real work of art in your country house or personal plot. Moreover, each version of this procedure has its own characteristics and subtleties of implementation.

Every owner of a juniper should do it when the snow has just melted. As the name implies, such an operation is of a health-improving nature.

It is carried out dry using garden shears or a small pruner. First, you need to identify those shoots that need to be removed. With your left hand, you need to gently push apart healthy branches to the sides. Take the pruning shears with your right hand and cut off the damaged stem at an angle of 45 degrees as close to the main healthy trunk as possible.

All cut and damaged shoots must be taken to one place and, if possible, burned, especially if the shoots have been infected with fungus. Experts recommend performing this procedure as soon as the snow melts completely. However, during the entire spring-autumn period, it is necessary to regularly examine the juniper for the presence of damaged or dry branches. If any were identified during the inspection, then a re-sanitary pruning should be carried out as soon as possible.

This pruning is done once, maximum twice a year and is mostly needed by young trees and juniper shrubs. Its essence is to cut off those shoots that are redundant, only cluttering the crown and interfering with its proper formation and healthy growth.

The procedure is performed using a pruner. It is best done in the spring season. The pruning method is blind. At an angle of about 45 degrees, all those branches that grow towards the trunk are massively cut. That is, the purpose of the procedure is to prune abnormally growing branches and make room for the growth of new and healthy shoots.

After all, the remote branches used to interfere with the normal and free circulation of air, but now they are not.

The scheme is simple - they remove shoots growing inside the crown, branches that have a fork, and all unnecessary strains. As a result, an even, smooth trunk with a lush crown in the upper part should remain.

Conifers have a truly unique appearance. Therefore, topiary pruning is an extremely important and necessary stage of plant care. It is she who allows you to form and arrange the bush beautifully, giving it a unique shape. Particularly popular is nivaki - a type of bonsai, that is, molded pruning of juniper, which allows you to create almost any figure from it on the site.

In principle, the essence of the procedure itself is simple - blind pruning removes about 20% of all new shoots, while on the sides and at the highest point of the crown, it is allowed to cut branches no more than one third of their entire length.

It is best to carry out formative pruning a couple of weeks after the first sanitary pruning of branches, or in the middle of summer, in order to cut off already lignified shoots, which spoil the appearance of the juniper as a whole. Dry extra branches are cut as close to the trunk as possible, while live shoots are cut at an angle of 45 degrees., leaving a small stump about 3 cm long. The cut sites themselves do not need to be processed after the procedure. But after the end of the pruning, it is better to fertilize or spray the juniper with any organic feeding.

According to these data, it is necessary to choose the correct trimming shape. Otherwise, even the results of the most painstaking work will be plants with an incomprehensible shape, which is quickly lost.

Crown pruning is necessary for all types of juniper, without exception, however, some varieties need exclusively sanitary cutting of branches, while others, on the contrary, only formative.

It is also necessary to take care of what shape the crown of the plant will form in the future. Some juniper varieties have a natural tendency to grow branches in the form of a ball or pyramid. Therefore, the formative pruning will have to be carried out based on this.

All varieties of juniper must be pruned for sanitary purposes once a year - in early spring. Then, about every other year at the beginning of May, the so-called thinning pruning is carried out.

Finally, shaping pruning is carried out only on decorative types of juniper, which are specially grown for the purpose of decorating a personal plot. Such pruning is carried out approximately once every 2, or even 4 years, depending on the variety of the plant itself.

Sanitary pruning is carried out by the point method, and thinning and shaping - only by the blind, regardless of the variety and type of juniper. The timing of the pruning itself is the same - from April to the end of October.

In order for any type of pruning to be really beneficial for the juniper and bring the plant exceptionally good, the following rules must be observed.

• It is imperative to use only a disinfected instrument. The human body should be covered with gloves and overalls. Some varieties of juniper have toxic or difficult to wash off juice.
• Before proceeding with the procedure, it is necessary to prepare all the instruments in advance and sharpen them sharply. This is necessary not only for quick and convenient work, but also in order to get a sharp edge of the cut of the branches. Indeed, in this case, it will tighten faster.
• Although pruning can be done between spring and mid-fall, it is best to do this right after the snow melts.
• Forming pruning can only be done before the juniper is 1.5 years old and is only suitable for healthy plants.
• The branches must be cut either completely to the main trunk, or leaving small stumps up to 3 cm long.
• When choosing a shape for the formation of the crown of a juniper, it is very important to take into account the natural skeleton of the branches, that is, the direction of their growth, the shape and strength of the branching.
• About 10 days before and after the same time after pruning, the juniper must be fed with mineral or organic fertilizers.

Juniper pruning is a very important and necessary procedure for healthy and beautiful plant growth and development. Completed in accordance with all the above recommendations, it will allow everyone to create a real work of art on the site.

The following video introduces a bonsai style juniper pruning workshop.